Reproductive Health Communication Made Easy

Soon to be DR. Ben Mokaya Onsase, is a 5th year at Egerton University, a student leader and the founder of Reproductive Health Program Rural Communities (RHPRC) Initiative. He is passionate about health communication interventions that led him to start such an initiative whose main agenda is to disseminate information on reproductive health.

The initiative was started in February 2012 and has seen it grow throughout Meru and Nakuru Counties. It not only creates awareness on Family planning, antenatal checkups, nutrition and maternal health care, menstrual sanitation and the social issues of HIV/AIDS and related STIs. But also, presents itself as a forum for students of medicine to come together through voluntary works such as physical visits to areas highly affected by lack of knowledge on health concerns and use of social media as a distribution avenue.

A session at Bridgewater Girls High School

Varcity conducted an interview with the brain behind RHPRC. All you need to know about it.

Why did you start a reproductive health campaign?

My main objective of starting this initiative is the fact that the greatest challenge in the health sector is mainly reproduction health sector is mainly reproductive health issues. I discovered while in school as a medical student, most students could secretly as you about some key issues like STIs, contraceptives use and menstrual cycle education.

I saw so many of my friends suffer in silence because of the gap in terms of knowledge in this sector. I was further touched when I went out on a free medical camp in a low resource setting in Kaptembwo in Nakuru County and noticed that 68% of all the clients were from low social economic statuses and were suffering due to reproductive health related pathologists.

90% of these conditions were preventable cases that could be done via mass education. As a result, I saw it as an opportunity to start the initiative and educate my clients, right from primary to tertiary institutions. And now, our main target is the rural areas and low resource settings.

A student thanks RHPRC for their work

Medicine, needs drive and passion?

My inspiration comes from my colleagues and my parents. They always tell me how I won’t get anything material in return, but I will definitely receive gratification for serving humanity. Plus, the best way to give back to society is educating the less fortunate on good health practices.

What limits your initiative to be greater than it is now?

Our key challenge is monetary resources to run or activities. We entirely depend on collections from members and those who we partner with during key events like medical camps. But we thank God that none of the activities we do ever failed to occur. We are optimist we will in future attract several sponsors as we work in line with the millennium development goals.